Lab Track: Take Me to Church

While at first glance the title of this week’s Lab Track might suggest that our readership is the wrong audience for this song, trust me when I say that we’re exactly right. “Take Me To Church” is a soulful, moving track by Irish singer-songwriter Hozier about sex, religion, and defying the confines the latter places on the former. Mother Jones interviewed Hozier about the song back in March:

“There is no greater celebration of life, and nothing more human than a sexual act.” Intended as a swipe at the Catholic indoctrination so intrinsic to Irish culture, Byrne uses the song to speak against any construct that condemns sexuality, which he believes “undermines humanity at its most natural.” …”It’s about electing some new form of worship—something worthwhile,” [Hozier] says. “Something that is worth loving. Something that is tangible and real.”

The official music video screams this message in the direction of the hate crimes being perpetrated against the LGBT community in Russia. It’s a brutual, plaintiff call for love in the face of horror:

I was hooked on the song before I knew the full story behind it, and I was inspired to break out my guitar (which has been literally and proverbially collecting dust for awhile now) and record my own cover. In the spirit of showing off our ugly things, I’m excited to make my Mad Art Lab musical premiere with such a great piece:

Like this:

Anne Sauer is an atheist with an appetite for science, good food, and making connections between the two. She is currently pursuing her MBA in Sustainable Management at Presidio Graduate School in San Francisco. Her favorite foods are salted caramel ice cream and chicken tikka masala. You can find her on twitter @aynsavoy.